Researcher - Environmental Humanities and Research-Creation: Lead in Senegal (M/F)

Job Description

Missions

How can an arts-and-sciences approach help reduce lead exposure linked to the industrial recycling of automotive batteries? This is the research question addressed in this postdoctoral fellowship. Starting from a situation where lead has a deeply concerning impact in Senegal—specifically in Ngagne Diaw (Thiarorye-sur-mer), Mbeubeuss (Keur Massar), Colobane (Dakar), and now Sebikotane— the study aims to observe the narrative surrounding lead across various discourses—whether scientific, legislative, local, technical, religious, artistic, or literary—and to analyze what enables or hinders effective engagement with this issue, despite lead being one of the oldest known pollutants. Building on this, and in close alignment with the concerns of the participants in the Eco-Citizen Observatory for Pollution Awareness (researchers, residents, authorities), the aim would be, on the one hand, to develop arts-science initiatives to circulate concerns, knowledge, or practices regarding lead exposure in the affected area, and on the other hand, to link these to more conventional forms of public discourse (advocacy, roundtables, opinion pieces, radio programs, etc.). Collaboration with artists, as part of an action-research approach (forum theater troupes, urban rap musicians, photographers, sound designers…), as well as participation in the Observatory's citizen workshops—particularly during the text-drafting phases—would be the means through which to contribute to the formation of a shared concern regarding lead, and to the creation of spaces for consultation and negotiation that bring together groups with divergent interests. The objective will be to generate opportunities for a political experience of lead, namely, to bring it into the commons even though it is initially a negative common, to appreciate the role of arts-science relations when they take on the challenge of a shift, and to help characterize the epistemic shifts necessary to grasp the transformation of a situation typical of the Anthropocene.

Activity

Arts-Science Experiments: Based on a situation where lead pollution is a serious concern in Senegal—specifically in Ngagne Diaw (Thiarorye-sur-mer), Mbeubeuss (Keur Massar), Colobane (Dakar), and now Sebikotane— the study aims to examine the presence of lead in various discourses—whether scientific, legislative, local, technical, religious, artistic, or literary—and to analyze what enables or hinders effective engagement with this issue, given that lead is one of the oldest known pollutants. - Building on this, and in close alignment with the concerns of the participants in the Eco-Citizen Observatory for Pollution Awareness (researchers, residents, authorities), the aim would be, on the one hand, to develop arts-science initiatives to circulate concerns, knowledge, or practices regarding lead exposure in the affected area, and on the other hand, to link these to more conventional forms of public discourse (advocacy, roundtables, opinion pieces, radio programs, etc.).
- Collaboration with artists as part of an action-research approach (forum theater troupes, urban rap musicians, photographers, sound designers…), as well as participation in the Observatory's citizen workshops—particularly during the text-drafting phases—would be the means through which to contribute to the formation of a shared concern regarding lead, and to the creation of spaces for consultation and negotiation that bring together groups with divergent interests. - The objective will be to generate opportunities for a political experience of lead, namely, to bring it into the commons even though it is initially a negative common, to appreciate the role of arts-science relations when they take on the challenge of a shift, and to help characterize the epistemic shifts necessary to understand the transformation of a situation typical of the Anthropocene.

Your Profil

Skills

Required qualifications: PhD in research-creation or the social sciences (anthropology, sociology, geography, literature) Desired skills: - good knowledge of Senegal - experience working in an interdisciplinary setting (humanities, social sciences, and environmental sciences), - interest in working in sensitive environments (urban mines, factories, and polluted industrial zones) - experience collaborating with artists - experience facilitating participatory workshops and proficiency in facilitation tools - proficiency in qualitative research methods and social science analytical tools, - ethnographic innovation through research-creation - alternative forms of writing Desired skills: autonomy; teamwork skills, writing ability.

Your Work Environment

The postdoctoral fellowship will be conducted at the Institute of African Worlds (IMAF), a joint interdisciplinary research unit (history, art history, anthropology, political science, legal history, archaeology, geography) whose research focuses on the entire African continent. The IMAF operates under the authority of six governing bodies: the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS - UMR 8171), the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD - UMR 243), the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), the School for Advanced Practical Studies (EPHE), the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and Aix-Marseille University (AMU). In collaboration with the IRL Environment-Health-Societies – IRL 3189 ESS (CNRS, University of Dakar), the researcher will be required to undertake long-term fieldwork at the Sebikotane site, near Dakar, Senegal. This postdoctoral contract is part of the “A Society of Reuse and Recycling?” (SO-RRYL) project under the PEPR Recycling program, which is open to research-creation approaches on policies regarding recycled materials. It contributes to the development in Senegal by the CNRS SHS of an Open Monitoring System for Societies and their Interactions.
An eco-citizen initiative dedicated to understanding pollution in the Sebikotane–Diamniadio–Bargny area, this Observatory was launched through a partnership between researchers, artists, activists, elected officials, and citizens. It is an interdisciplinary, participatory art-science-society project supported by the CNRS and UCAD and led by the IRL ESS. It has two objectives: to document and analyze the transformations currently underway, and to contribute to the public debate in a region where residents have concerns regarding environmental health. This postdoctoral fellowship will be supervised by Cécile Van Den Avenne (Sociolinguist, IMAF-EHESS Marseille) and Yann Philippe Tastevin (Anthropologist, IRL ESS – CNRS-UCAD-UGB).

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

between €3,131.32 and €4,806.76 before tax per month, depending on professional experience

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions